Browsing Department of Biology by Title
Now showing items 156-175 of 195
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The Spatial Ecology Of The Comanche Harvester Ant, Pogonomyrmex comanche (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Because of the diverse roles ants play, it has been suggested that ants may be ecosystem engineers and so, may be useful in monitoring ecosystem function and health. Because ant activities are localized around their nests, ... -
Species Limits And Phylogenetic Systematic Of The Diurnal Geckos Of The Genus Gonatodes (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae)
(Biology, 2008-09-17)The genus Gonatodes (family Sphaerodactylidae) is a diverse of group of about 20 species currently recognized of mostly diurnal geckos that are collectively distributed from southern Mexico to Brazil and Bolivia, and also ... -
A Sticky Situation: Functional Responses Of Mast Cells To Acidic pH
(Biology, 2008-04-22)Precise regulation of extracellular pH is critical for proper function of many cellular activities. Minor fluctuations in pH can have profound effects on ion transport, receptor function, and cellular secretions. This work ... -
Stream Biodiversity and Co-occurrence Network Topology along Sub-continental to Global Nutrient and Land Use Gradients
(2020-07-21)Freshwaters are some of the most vulnerable ecosystems to global change forces, such as land use and eutrophication, implicated in the loss of biodiversity and biotic homogenization (increased similarity) of species ... -
Stress Response Pathways and the Origins of Novelty: How Snakes Regenerate Organs and Regulate Venom
(2023-05-11)**Please note that the full text is embargoed until 05/11/2024** ABSTRACT: Snakes have captured evolutionary biologists’ attention for decades as extreme examples of adaptive evolution models for studying how novel and ... -
STRESS RESPONSES OF CORALS AND THEIR SYMBIOTIC PARTNERS
(2019-08-06)Disease and temperature are primary threats to coral persistence, and these stresses can work synergistically to accelerate coral declines. In the face of climate change, understanding the effects of these stresses is key ... -
A Study Of Factors Affecting Scale Roughness In The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)
(Biology, 2007-08-23)Reptilian scales are very complex with patterns across their surface like a human fingerprint. These patterns are species specific, but there has been no way to quantify differences. A new technique using the confocal ... -
Study Of The Expression Pattern Of A Possible Pseudogene And A Functional Retrogene In Drosophila
(Biology, 2007-08-23)Gene duplication occurs when a mutation leads to the copying of a region of DNA that contains a functional gene. After duplication, there will be two copies of the gene in the genome. Gene duplication can have deleterious ... -
Synthesis And Phylogenetic Comparative Analyses Of The Causes And Consequences Of Karyotype Evolution In Arthropods
Cytogenetic data in the form of karyotypes are complex, highly-variable traits that offer opportunities to detect changes in genome organization, uncover phylogenetic history, and distinguish cryptic species. However, the ... -
A Tale Of Three Phytopathogens: Impact Of Transposable Elements On Genome Evolution
(Biology, 2010-07-19)The genus Phytophthora harbors some notorious plant pathogens like Phytophthora infestans (causal of Irish potato famine), Phytophthora sojae (soybean rot agent), and Phytophthora ramorum (responsible for sudden oak ... -
Targeting Of Site-specific Non-LTR Retrotransposons: Role Of Amino-terminal Domains
(Biology, 2012-04-11)Restriction-like endonuclease (RLE) bearing non-LTR retrotransposons are site-specificelements that integrate into the genome through target primed reverse transcription (TPRT). RLE-bearing elements have been used as a ... -
TAXONOMY, SYSTEMATICS, BIOGEOGRAPHY, AND CONSERVATION OF TOADS (ANURA: BUFONIDAE) IN THE SUNDA SHELF OF INDONESIA
(2020-09-04)After Van Kampen’s 1905–1911 visit to Indonesia culminating in his Amphibians of the Indo-Australian Archipelago (1923), there has been no extensive herpetological exploration and compendium for Indonesia, particularly for ... -
The Cellular and Genetic Mechanisms of Stress Response Pathways in Caribbean Coral
(2021-12-08)Reef-building corals are in decline around the globe due to both the effects of increased ocean temperatures and the emergence of marine diseases which affect corals. These emerging issues threaten the continued persistence ... -
The evolution of complexity: tests of the ecological drivers of eye size evolution in nature
(2019-04-29)Organisms exhibit extensive variation in eye size and structure across the animal kingdom. The long standing hypothesis is that divergent ecological selective pressures drive and maintain this variation. While multiple ... -
THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE HISTORIES AND PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY ACROSS ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENTS IN DAPHNIA SP.
(2020-08-11)Understanding how environmentally-induced variation ultimately leads to speciation is a main component of evolutionary ecology. This dissertation uses Daphnia in experimental and comparative studies to address several ... -
THE EVOLUTION OF NEUROSENSORY STRUCTURES: EVALUATING ECOLOGICAL DRIVERS OF BRAIN AND EYE SIZE VARIATION
(2022-05-18)Neurosensory structures (i.e., brain and eye size) vary extensively across taxa. The evolution of large neurosensory structures has long been an area of interest for scientists, but focus has largely been placed on ... -
The Genetic Architecture Of Variation In Humans And Dogs
Genetic architecture is broadly defined as the structure of how genes come together to produce phenotypes. Primary aspects of genetic architecture include how many and which genes contribute to phenotypic variation. The ... -
The Genetics Of Hybrid Incompatibility Early In The 'speciation Continuum'
Species are discrete groups of organisms that are reproductively isolated from other related groups of organisms. Variation in the strength of reproductive isolation between closely related taxa falls along a `speciation ... -
The Influence Of Thermal Effluent On Life History Evolution In The Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis
(Biology, 2015)The evolutionary consequence of heated effluent on the Western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, was studied at Lake Fairfield, in Freestone County, Texas. The Lake Fairfield reservoir receives heated effluent from Luminant’s ... -
THE MECHANISM OF ENZYME STABILITY AND SPECIFICITY IN CASPASE-3
(2021-04-20)The caspase family has been found as regulated proteins that play an important role in apoptosis and inflammation. Incorrect caspase regulation may cause serious diseases such as cancer. Knowing the mechanisms and evolution ...